Automatic cut-off for gas-pipes.



N0.7s7,11s. Y r PATENT'ED AUG. 25,1903.-

11.- F. KENEHAN,

AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF FOE GAS PIPES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES fPate-nted Au ust 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD F. KENEHAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH P. DOWDALL,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF FOR GAS-PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. '7 37,113, dated August 25, 1903.

I Application filed January 17, 1903. Serial No. 139,461. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, RICHARD F. KENEHAN, of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Out- Offs for Gas-Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to mechanism for automatically shutting off the supply of gas in case of fire and before the gas enters the easily-fusible lead pipes ordinarily used about the connections with the meter.

In case of fires in buildings, and especially in the lower part and basement'of buildings, where the gas-meters are usually placed, very frequently the heat is sufficient to melt the lead pipes about the meter and to allow a full force of gas from the supply-pipe to escape,

. filling the lower parts of the building with gas, aggravating the fire, and'seriously endangering the lives of the firemen or other persons who may be obliged to enter the building. It is usual to use an iron pipe for the supply-pipe, leading to the gas-main, and this supply-pipe is connected by a lead connection with the gas-meter. This iron pipe will withstand very-intense heat before melting so as to allow the escape of the gas, and I place the automatic cut-ofiiin the iron pipe or directly connected therewith and construct itvof metal which will withstand very intense heat, so that if the'lead pipes are melted the cut-off will come'into operation and stop the gas with its injurious elfects.

In Figure I of the drawings I have shown an elevation of a gas-meter provided with my automatic cut-01f, the cock of which is shown partially in section in order to make the construction clear. Fig. II is a side view, and Fig. III an edge view, of metal disks which may be joined by a soft solder to con-' nect the sections of the wire. 1

A is a gas-meter.

B is the feed-pipe connecting with the distributing-pipes of the building. 7

O is an iron supplypipe connecting with 'isprovided with oa-weighted lever-arm F,

which is adapted to close the cock when the arm ,is'depressed and open the cock when the arm is raised. a

G G G represent the sustaining-wire,for1ned of sections connected by'one or more readilyfusible joints, as g g. This wire is attached at one end to any suitable fastening H and at-the other end is connected with the lever Res at i. I prefer to use for the fusible joints in this wire a composition which will melt at a low temperature, even below 200 Fahrenheit, and considerably below the melting-point of lead, so that in caseof fire about 6 5" the meter before the heat becomes sufficiently intense to melt the lead connections and allow the gas to escape the fusible joint ofthe sustaining-wire will be melted, freeing the wire and lever-arm F, which, dropping, will effectually close the cock E. m and n are hard metal disks, each attached to a section of the wire G and united by soft solder, the broad surfaces 'of the disks so dividing the strain that'the joint will sustain considerable weight. I'prefer to place the fusible jointed wire in quite close proximity to the lead pipes, so that any heat which might seri- ,ously affect the pipes will operate also on the fusible joints, audit will be readily understood that the wire can be so arranged with a number of joints in it that some of the joints can be carried near the inlet-pipe and other joints carried near the outlet-pipe, so that heat at either point will release the 85. weight and cut ofi the gas.

Another advantage of my construction is that in case of the breaking orcrushingdown of the building the debris striking the lever arm F will readily break the sustaining-wire G G and allow the lever to cut-01f the gas. The exact position and adjustment of the cut-off cock must be, of course, modified to suit the various positions of the supply-pipe with the meter; but this will be understood 5 by any gas-fitter or plumber.

It will be readilyundersto'od that my im-. provement is not limited in its application to pipes which convey gas only, but is also applicable to pipes which are used to convey other inflammable fluids, such as petroleum and the like, and in which it is desirable to shut ofi the flow of the fluid when a dangerous degree of heat may be reached accidentally or otherwise.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination, with a pipe conveying an inflammable fluid, of a cut-off valve,valvegoverning mechanism embodying metallic sections provided with corresponding expanded faces joined by a soft solder fusible at a lower degree of heat than the other attachments, and mechanism for automatically operating said cut-oif valve upon the fusing of the joints of any of said metallic sections, substantially as described.

2, The combination, with a pipe conveying an inflammable fluid, of a cut-off valve held normallyopen bya valve-governing mechanism embodying sections of wire provided at their ends with metallic disks, said disks being united in pairs by a soft solder fusible at a lower degree of heat than the other portions of said attachments, and mechanism for closing said valve automatically when released by the fusing of any of the soldered joints, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a pipe conveying an inflammable fluid, of a cut-oil? valve held normally open by a valve-governing mechanism embodying sections of Wire provided at their ends with metallic disks, said disks being united in pairs by a soft solder fusible at a lower. degree of heat than the other portions of said valve-governing mechanism, and mechanism, consisting of a gravity-lever, for closing said valve automatically when released by the fusing of any of the soldered joints, substantially as described.

RICHARD F. KENEl-IAN.

Witnesses:

WM. D. NEILLEY, ALICE EDWARDS. 

